Knoxville Festival Fun {2018}

Festivals come alive during springtime in Knoxville, TN. It’s a fantastic time of year indeed! First warm temperatures of the season arrive making for the perfect environment for outdoor fun! From Opera to chicken wings, reading to music, get your calendars out because I’m here to keep you in the know for all of the festival fun this spring and summer!

Get ready quickly because opening weekend of festival fun has already come and gone, and there are several events you won’t want to miss the remainder of the spring and summer! Moving to later in the year and a personal fave, the Great Llama Race is entertaining for all ages, complete with a parade of llamas and lots of smaller llama-like activities. And let’s talk about the race itself! Have you ever seen a llama run? How about run in a race? We found it to be quite hilarious! An added bonus: the llamas are led by local celebrities paired with a Knoxville school; part of the winnings benefit the local winning schools, as well as Casa de Sara, an international non-profit benefiting a school in Bolivia! Definitely a must-see!

Check out many other festivals included below (listed by date) as there is much fun to be had nearly every weekend this spring and summer!

2018 Knoxville Festival Fun:

Rossini Festival
Gay St. and Market Square (Downtown Knoxville)
Knoxville, TN 37902
Saturday, 4/14/18 10:00AM-9:00PM
Cost: FREE
An international street fair full of food frenzy and multicultural music of all sorts! And of course, the YMCA FunZone is a must for the littles! **A little tip from personal experience: they expect close to 100,000 people at this event annually so if you can “wear” your littles and avoid a stroller, you will be able to navigate the crowds much easier! If you have a child that is too big to wear and is one who loves to wander, bring the stroller because it will be easy to get lost in the packed and narrow street!**

Kite Festival
Pearson Springs Park
1467 Montvale Station Rd. Maryville, TN 37803
Sunday, 4/15/18 10:00AM-4:30PM (**RAIN DATE SUNDAY, 4/22/18 10:00AM-4:30PM**)
Cost: FREE
Come fly a kite or sit and watch the professionals. Kites will be available for purchase on site or you can bring your favorite kite from home! Entertainment and vendors will also be present. Bring your own chairs and picnic blankets to enjoy the day!

UT Orange & White Game
Neyland Stadium
Saturday, 4/21/18 2:00PM
Cost: FREE
Come out to support the Vols as they take on each other for a spring practice!

Volapalooza
World’s Fair Park
963 Worlds Fair Park Drive, World’s Fair Park, TN
Friday, 4/27/18 6:00PM-11:00PM
Cost: FREE for UT students. $15 in advance for public. $20 at the gate for public.
Join us for live music, food trucks, vendors, and other entertainment to celebrate the end of the school year.

Earthfest
Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum
2743 Wimpole Ave. Knoxville, TN 37914
Saturday, 4/28/18 10:00AM-5:00PM
Cost: FREE
Come out to learn more about how you can help your planet and bring along your household items that need recycling, including cloth diapers, light bulbs, and mercury thermometers! You can bring the kiddos along to check out the youth area so they too can learn all about how they can help save the planet!

Splash Pad Opening Day
Knox County Splash Pads
McFee Park: Saturday, 4/28/18; All others: Saturday, 5/05/18 (open through 9/9/18)
Cost: FREE
Head out to one of your favorite splash pads as they open for the summer season! Need help finding one? Check out our past post with a list of them here!

McFee Park (newly renovated) Splash Pad 2016.

Farragut Food & Wine Festival
11240 Kingston Pike (Old Kroger Parking Lot)
Friday, 5/04/18 6:30PM-9:30PM
Cost: $30 in advance, $35 at the gate. Children 12 and under $10 in advance, $15 at the gate. 100 VIP seats available for $75/each. Tickets are available at Knoxville Ticket locations: McEntire & Mays Interiors (West End Center), Goin’ Postal (11519 Kingston Pike), Y-12 Federal Credit Union (13128 Kingston Pike), online and by phoning (865) 656-4444.
The goal of this regional festival is to showcase “best bite” samples from Farragut’s area eateries, as well as to provide the opportunity to pair those bites with wines, beers and ready-to-drink cocktails (ID required) from Farragut’s wine distributors.

Spring Pet Fair
Village Veterinary Medical Center
11301 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37934
Saturday, 5/05/18 11:00AM-2:00PM
Cost: FREE
Enjoy face painting, bounce house, police dog demos, tour the hospital, and see what it might be like to be a vet for the day!

Vestival Festival
Candora Arts & Heritage Center
445 Candora Ave. Knoxville, TN 37920
Saturday, 5/12/18 10:00AM-6:00PM
Cost: Donation Suggestion of $5-$10
Vestival is the festival that honors and celebrates the heritage of the South Knoxville community of Vestal. The festival includes music, numerous arts, crafts and food vendors, children’s activities, and history info about Vestal and South Knoxville.

70th Annual Tennessee Strawberry Festival Parade
Dayton, TN
Market Street and 2nd Ave.
Saturday, 5/12/18 1:00PM
Cost: FREE
Drive down to Dayton for a festival you won’t want to miss, complete with the “Strawberries in Candyland” parade! Also enjoy craft and food vendors, live music, a children’s area, and a carnival.

International Biscuit Festival 2016.

Children’s Festival of Reading
Worlds Fair Park
525 Henley St. Knoxville, TN 37902
Saturday, 5/19/18 10:00AM-3:00PM
Cost: FREE
Enjoy arts and crafts, story-telling, games, food, a Book Parade, and so much more, all provided by the Knox County Public Library.

Safety City Knoxville
165 S. Concord St. Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 215-7103
Open ONLY Mondays and Thursdays starting 6/04/18 through 7/26/18 9:00AM-12:00PM and 3:00PM-7:00PM
Cost: FREE
Bring your bikes with helmets, battery-powered cars, non-motorized scooters (no skateboards), doll buggies, or walking shoes for open riding and play through the miniature Knoxville cityscape. There are also two playgrounds and picnic areas to enjoy!

Big Kahuna Wing Festival
Worlds Fair Park
525 Henley St. Knoxville, TN 37902
Saturday, 6/16/18 12:00PM-8:00PM
Cost: $20 in advance at Big Kahuna Wings Bar & Grill or online on sale 4/16/18 at 10:00AM or $25 at the gate. Children under 8 are free. Includes 25 wings.
Come out to sample 8,000 pounds of wings until your heart is content, while enjoying the outdoors and live music, all the while benefiting the Empty Stocking Fund, Big Heads Big Hearts, Second Harvest Food Bank, UT Culinary and Pellissippi State Community College Culinary Arts!

Knoxville Brewfest
700 block of Gay St. Downtown Knoxville
Entrance at Gay St and Church Ave. next to the old Pryor Brown Garage, Knoxville, TN
Saturday, 6/16/18 4:00PM-8:00PM
Cost: $45 early bird rate. $50 after 5/31/18. Designated driver tickets can be purchased for $20. **Tickets are on sale now and have sold out in previous years!**
If you are looking for something new to try and you love beer or cider, this is a super fun date idea! Breweries, beer and enthusiasts from all over will gather for a summer afternoon sampling fresh beers of all colors, styles and flavors, all to benefit Cure Duchenne. This is another event that has sold out prior to event day in the past, so be sure to get your tickets soon!

5th Annual Knox Asian Festival
Market Square
Downtown Knoxville, TN 37901
Sunday, 8/26/18 11:00AM-6:00PM
Cost: FREE
The festival aims to bring together people from various cultural backgrounds, to promote peace, harmony, unity and a healthy lifestyle. Each participating country will showcase its unique music, dance, food, fashion, handicrafts and other products. See website for more details.

The Great Llama Race
World’s Fair Park
525 Henley St. Knoxville, TN 37902
Saturday, 10/06/18 11:00AM-4:00PM
Cost: $5/person (5 & under are free)
Enjoy a parade, llama races, live music and entertainment, a children’s section, games, and crafts! **Please note no dogs are allowed!** More information can be found on their Facebook page.

Bark in the Park After Dark
Lakeshore Park, Marble Hall and Pavillion
6410 S. Northshore Dr. Knoxville, TN 37919
Saturday, 10/06/18 5:00PM-9:00PM
Cost: TBA
Participate in activities for people and pooches, visit pet businesses and rescue booths while enjoying food and drink from our vendors. Stick around to find out which classy canines will be crowned Mr. & Ms. Bark at the end of the festival.

Art in the Park for Kids
Founder’s Park at Campbell Station
TBA
Cost: FREE
Come out to the park to enjoy out-of-the-box art for all ages!

International Biscuit Festival
Market Square (Downtown Knoxville)
Knoxville, TN 37902
Cancelled for 2018.
Cost: TBA
This event actually lasts Friday through Sunday with the main event as detailed on Saturday. Be sure to check the website for events going on throughout the other days too! Biscuit Boulevard is always a very popular event and the biscuits fly off the tables quickly, so although the event is scheduled for several hours, biscuits are often long gone by the end! **A little tip from personal experience: buy one ticket per two people (unless you REALLY love biscuits!) as these are hefty mini-meals; however if you want to try more, buy a second ticket so you can taste 10 biscuit recipes!**

About Kara

Kara is wife to Creed and mama to three, ages 1, 5, and 7. A Florida native, she relocated to Knoxville 9 years ago to pursue a master's degree where she promptly fell in love with the endless supply of sweet tea, southern hospitality, and peach cobbler. When she's not at the hospital caring for sick patients, she enjoys caring for her three littles and spending time with her friends and family at local events downtown. You can find more about her family, the things they fancy, and their adventures around Knoxville at Living Happily After.

2 Responses to Knoxville Festival Fun {2018}

The 5th Asian Festival will be held at Market Square in Knoxville on Sunday, August 26th. There will be many good vendors, performers, cultural education for children, etc… this will be the 5th Asian Festival and it is getting bigger every year!